Gransnet forums

Charities

Had enough of commercialism

(23 Posts)
Floradora9 Thu 22-Feb-18 18:10:56

I hate e cards I refuse to open them rather have nothing .

MillyG Thu 22-Feb-18 12:24:29

I just wonder why, if a friendship is valued, there’s no other contact throughout the year. A Christmas card isn’t much of a way to nurture a friendship.

Granless Wed 20-Dec-17 16:35:48

My point was mostly aimed at people whom I never see and probably not bothered if I never do, if I’m being honest. The ones I love and see regularly don’t ‘need’ a card as well. The ones that live far flung get a phone call which surely is better than a card - always nice to hear a voice - so, no, the relationship certainly doesn’t end if no card is sent. Happy Christmas to One and All. ⛄️

Smithy Tue 19-Dec-17 20:59:35

I like cards at Christmas, would only send an e card to someone abroad. But as has been said, the subject's been done to death already.

varian Tue 19-Dec-17 20:42:37

It is important, I think, to keep in touch with folk who we were once close to but are now far away. If the cards stop that is the end of that relationship.

BlueBelle Tue 19-Dec-17 20:31:15

Well i m one who loves getting cards and I m really sad that so many people are not sending any more I make all my cards so there’s is a little bit of love goes in all my envelopes
I m afraid an e-card does absolutely nothing for me at all

NannyTee Tue 19-Dec-17 19:18:04

Ahh yeah things like that play on the mind.

MissAdventure Tue 19-Dec-17 19:06:02

It choked me, too NannyTee. It just seemed so impersonal, not least because they hadn't even got the address right. I took it round to what I presumed was the right address, and the place looked empty. I often wonder what happened to that 'mum'.

NannyTee Tue 19-Dec-17 19:03:14

I agree with the charity Christmas cards. Best plan .

NannyTee Tue 19-Dec-17 19:01:52

Ahh that's really choked me up MissAdventure

NannyTee Tue 19-Dec-17 19:00:31

I think a lot of greetings are sent via the internet these days. As long as we are thinking of the OP that's good too.

MissAdventure Tue 19-Dec-17 18:45:23

One of the saddest things ever, I thought. A tiny little Christmas card, with a fiver tucked inside, which came to my address, as that was what was on the envelope.
Inside it read: To mum, merry Christmas, love 'son, wife, and children's names'.

TerriBull Tue 19-Dec-17 17:48:42

If you buy charity Christmas cards from a church, rather than a stationers/card shop, then I believe all the profits go to the designated charity rather than just a percentage. Writing cards can be a bit of a chore but it is a way of keeping in touch with people you don't see that often. I don't think successive generations will continue with this tradition, social media will eventually render the sending of cards obsolete.

maryeliza54 Tue 19-Dec-17 17:45:41

Totally agree with jane

lemongrove Tue 19-Dec-17 17:36:24

I like cards too.

lemongrove Tue 19-Dec-17 17:35:53

Well, a card is still a card wildswan tchsmile you could raise a glass to Alice and Fred.They think the right person got it and you got an extra card,a win win situation.
Probably the previous householders, that still happens after years of us being in our present house ( and the old lady died a few years ago) but we still get a couple of cards.

janeainsworth Tue 19-Dec-17 17:35:32

I don’t understand why ‘giving to charity’ is seen as an alternative to sending Christmas cards.
I’m sure most of us give to charity as much as were able to afford anyway.
Why not just be honest and say you can’t be bothered/ dislike the commercial aspects of Christmas/ begrudge the postage and costs of the cards/ no longer wish to be in touch with the intended recipient?

Personally I love getting and sending Christmas cards. It’s a way of letting people whom I’m not able to see from one year to the next know I still think about them and care about them and value their friendship.

Luckygirl Tue 19-Dec-17 17:33:40

I send some ecards but since so many use the same company now, the same cards are cycling round and round!

Some folk get proper cards from us, but I have hugely cut down on how many I send. I crossed a few more off the list this year - some who live quite close to us but we never see them - how pointless is that?!

One person sent me their Red Cross freebie (you know the one we all get with The Snowman on it!) so I took that message in the spirit it was meant!

In any event I find it difficult to find places to put the cards as every available surface is covered with clutter!

NannyTee Tue 19-Dec-17 17:27:03

grin

wildswan16 Tue 19-Dec-17 17:19:04

I recently moved house, but at my previous home I received a christmas card every year addressed to Mrs X who I had never heard of. The first few years I put it back in the box marked "not known at this address". Then the next year I opened it hoping for a clue - Merry Christmas from Alice and Fred (can't remember the names now), didn't really help much. So I just stuck it on the mantelpiece with the rest. They kept coming for all eighteen years I lived there !

NannyTee Tue 19-Dec-17 16:29:37

Granless I stopped sending cards years ago. It's just a pain in the backside. I also give to a local charity instead. I couldn't even tell who half the received cards were off anyway. The scrawl haha

M0nica Tue 19-Dec-17 16:27:03

Hasn't this topic been covered very thoroughly in several other threads?

Granless Tue 19-Dec-17 16:24:27

That’s it. Next year I’ll be putting a message in the cards saying that I will be sending no more but donating to a charity. I have recently spoken with several people of a certain age - all said they have done just that. For one thing the postage adds up and why send or receive (a cheap card) from someone you never hear from year on year? If a chatty letter was enclosed all the better but no.
How do you feel about a Christmas generally?